Never one to follow the pursuits usually associated with young women of the time, Ursula enjoyed climbing trees, digging in the mud and exploring all of the places where others didn’t want to go. After showing a natural aptitude for languages, the sciences and history, she enrolled in Boston University where she graduated first in her class at Archaeology.

Using her inheritance to finance her trips across the globe, Ursula set about exploring the remnants of lost civilisations and the ritualistic practices of remote tribes which had never before seen a westerner, selling the pieces she wrote about these expeditions to various magazines and scientific journals in order to fund future excursions. In this manner, Ursula became the world's premier female archaeologist, and one of the few people on the planet able to make boasts such as having climbed a mountain on every continent and stolen a priceless relic from a savage tribe of cannibals.

Eventually Ursula's pursuits led her to Arkham, where she had tracked down the members of a shadowy cult and their shipping container full of mysterious artefacts. Resolving to get to the bottom of things, Ursula took her first steps on the road to discovering the dark truths of the city.